What’s the low-altitude economy for, anyway?

What are the killer apps for the low-altitude economy?

We've reported frequently about the Chinese government's efforts to cultivate the "low-altitude economy", an emerging industry based around flying cars and drone logistics. But our readers often ask us:

• Are there really any economically viable use cases for autonomous low-altitude flights?

On November 18, Yicai published an article describing several ways that low-altitude vehicles are already being used in China – we thought we'd share.

First, cherry farmers in Dalian are using eVTOLs to lower the cost of agricultural logistics.

• Deli Temple Town near Dalian produces 30,000 tons of cherries with an annual value of RMB 1.3 billion.
• The cherries are grown in mountainous areas, making transportation difficult and expensive, at a cost of RMB 30 million annually.
• Direct drone flights haul cherries from villages to the tarmac for loading, "boosting farming income" and "improving logistics efficiency by over 50%."

Second, drone-based medical logistics flights reduce the inter-city transfer time of blood for emergency surgeries to 15 minutes, skirting traffic congestion.

Third, law enforcement agencies in Harbin are using autonomous drones to patrol long stretches of waterway more efficiently than could be done by boat.

Our take: While these types of articles are largely propaganda and do not assess the profit potential of any industry in a balanced way, they do illuminate the types of use cases the state is excited about – and what other countries may miss out on if they let China dominate this sector without challenge.